The present invention relates to an air conditioning apparatus and is more particularly concerned with an air conditioning apparatus which is capable of blowing off a conditioned air in a suitable manner, depending on the temperature condition in the room to be air-conditioned.
FIGS. 10 through 13 show a conventional air conditioning apparatus which is disclosed in e.g. Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 54150/1986. In FIGS. 10 through 13, reference numeral 1 designates the main body of an indoor unit where a heat exchanger 2 and an impeller 3 of a blowing fan are housed. Reference numeral 4 designates an intake port which is formed in an upper portion of the front panel of the main body 1 to be opposite to the heat exchanger 2. Reference numeral 5 designates a lower outlet port which is formed in the bottom panel of the main body 1 to blow off downward the conditioned air which is inspired through the intake port 4 by the fan 3 and is heat exchanged in the heat exchanger 2. Reference numeral 6 designates a horizontal outlet port which is formed in a lower part of the front panel of the main body 1 to blow off in the horizontal direction the conditioned air which is inspired through the intake port 4 by the fan 3 and is heat exchanged in the heat exchanger 2. Reference numeral 7 designates a blowing air guiding wall which is arranged between the lower outlet port 5 and the horizontal outlet port 6, and which comprises a lower wall extending in a downward direction and a horizontal wall extending in the horizontal direction to be of a dogleg shape in section. Reference numeral 8 designates blowing air volume controlling plate which is carried on a horizontal shaft 9. The horizontal shaft 9 is supported by the main body to be capable of swinging about the apex of the blowing air guiding wall. Reference numeral 10 designates a step motor which swings the horizontal shaft 9. Reference numerals 11 and 12 designate a first limit switch and a second limit switch which function to limit the swinging range of the blowing air volume controlling plate 8, and which detect the swinging positions of the plate 8 and reverse the rotation of the step motor 10.
Now, the operation of the air conditioning apparatus as constructed in such manner will be explained. When a power switch is closed, the heat exchanger 2 and the fan start to work, the air in the room is inspired through the intake port 4 by the fan, and the conditioned air which has been heat exchanged in the heat exchanger 2 is blown off through the lower and horizontal outlet ports 5 and 6 in the lower and horizontal directions at the distribution rate which is determined depending on the swinging position of the blowing air volume controlling plate 8. At the same time when the power switch is closed, the blowing air volume controlling plate 8 starts to be swung between the first and second limit switches 11 and 12 through the horizontal shaft 9 by the step motor 10. The swinging motion of the blowing air volume controlling plate 8 makes the air volume blown off from the lower and horizontal outlet ports 5 and 6 change with time. The changing state of the blowing air volume is shown in FIG. 14. In FIG. 14, a dotted line a indicates the air volume which is blown off from the lower outlet port 5, a solid line b indicates the air volume which is blown off from the horizontal outlet port 6, an alternate long and short dash line c indicates the total amount of the air volume from both outlet ports 5 and 6, and a solid line d indicates the temperature of the blowing conditioned air. At the time T.sub.1 in FIG. 14, the air condition in the room takes a state as shown in FIG. 15. In this state, the blowing air volume of the horizontally blowing air 14 is large, and the blowing air volume of the downwardly blowing air 15 is small. In addition, the temperature of the blowing conditioned air is not high, and the difference between the temperature of the blowing air and the temperature in the room is small. In this way, a great agitating effect can be obtained. Although a part of the downwardly blowing air 15 rises toward the ceiling 13a, the rising part is caught in the horizontally blowing air 14 to be prevented from reaching the ceiling. As a result, a hot air can be prevented from staying adjacent to the ceiling 13a, and heat loss to the outside of the room is minimized. In addition, the horizontally blowing air 14 can agitate the air in the room to minimize the deterioration in the temperature distribution in the room. The air condition in the room at the time T.sub.2 in FIG. 14 takes a state as shown in FIG. 16. In this state, the blowing air volume of the horizontally blowing air 14 is small, and the blowing air volume of the downwardly blowing air 15 is large. As a result, the downwardly blowing air 15 can reach the floor 13b to give a great agitating effect to the air in the room, thereby obtaining the temperature distribution in the room in a good manner. Although the horizontally blowing air 14 tries to slightly rise, the downwardly blowing air 15 agitates the horizontally blowing air 14 at a position adjacent to the ceiling 13a, preventing the horizontally blowing air 14 from staying at such position.
Because the conventional air conditioning apparatus cyclically changes the distribution ratio of the horizontally blowing air 14 and the downwardly blowing air 15 particularly in room heating, the conventional apparatus has a problem in that when the apparatus starts to work or the apparatus has a great heating load, sufficient heat can not reach the floor 13b requiring a great quantity of heat to increase the temperature on the floor 13b at once, making a user feel cold.